The following report on the Natural Law Party's Winchester by-election campaign was published on 14th November by the
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Meditation and yogic flying for prisoners?
Winchester Prison inmates should be taught transcendental meditation to stop them re-offending, a candidate in the by-election recommended this week.
Instead of languishing in their cells, they would spend 30 hours of lessons during which they would be taught the mechanics of the mystic Eastern relaxation technique.
If a group mastered yogic flying, levitating themselves by the power of thought, their presence would cut the crime rate in Winchester.
It's the proposal of Natural Law Party candidate, Rosemary Barry, of Chandlers Ford, who launched her campaign earlier this week.
Her call for a pilot scheme at Winchester Prison comes after similar schemes in California, which it is claimed, reduced-reoffending.
The 47-year-old homeopath, who meditates twice daily for 20 minutes, said the course was intended to improve mental health and behaviour.
The lectures, which would involve prison officers, would teach about the development of a more stress-free mind, body and environment.
Mrs Barry said: "I would like to see Winchester Prison as a model for the rest of the country. Other experiments have shown the re-offending rate drops dramatically when people sort themselves out emotionally."
She said the crime rate in Mersyside fell during the group practice of yogic flying in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Asked about the danger of yogic flyers disappearing over the prison walls she said it was: "Not a likely escape method".
The Natural Law Party has sent a proposal with costings to the Home Office but has had no response.
Meanwhile, the governor of Winchester Prison, Mike Pascoe, declined to comment on whether the thought it was a good idea.
But he said: "I would not think Winchester was suitable. It is not a long-stay prison and transcendental meditation takes a considerable time to learn."
"I would have thought if it was going to be done anywhere it should be introduced at a training prison."
Response letter in Hampshire Chronicle
Transforming our criminal justice system
- creating a crime free society
"Corrections Today" article on
new approach to criminal rehabilitation
What leading scientists have said about NLP programmes to reverse
negative trends in society
Rosemary Barry - personal profile
Rosemary Barry's campaign launch statement
By-Election call for stronger line against genetically engineered
foods
UK General Election manifesto
1997
